Google aiming to solve hybrid car problem

Little bit of software and job's a good 'un

Google has said it's working on software to solve the problem of hybrid cars overloading the power grid when the technology reaches a larger number of people.

The current scenario sees a limited number of people plugging in their hybrid cars, but Dan Reicher, Google's director of Climate Change and Energy Initiatives told an industry conference that the company is anticipating a shift.

"We got to be careful how we manage these things," he said, according to Reuters. "On a hot day in July when 5 million Californians come home, you don't want them all plugging in at the same moment."

Managing power

Google is working on software that would allow the consumption of such power to be managed as it could have a disastrous effect on the electricity supply infrastructure.

Reicher posited that in exchange for charge being switched off at the critical moment, users would receive a credit from the power supplier.

Another option the company is testing is using the plugged in cars as back-up power reservoirs, so at high consumption times they could actually transfer power back to the grid to help maintain smooth flow.

A number of brands, such as Samsung, Toshiba and VW are investing in hybrid technology for cars, and it looks set to become a more popular form of automotive transport in the near future.

These plans might look like Google being philanthropic, but we all know what the internet search giant is up to with a scheme like this: powering flying cars. We're onto you, Google.